Today I’m sharing a wonderful post from creativity guru Jill Badonsky:

You know how people say, “I am SO not creative,” or “I don’t have a creative bone in my body”? This is what is happening:

1. They are not aware of how to combine their ball bearings for creative ignition.
2. They have an unrealistic expectation of creativity. They compare themselves to others who have spent years on their craft and feel inferior because they cannot be immediately like them.
3. They are afraid someone will ask them to be creative and they will try to meet unrealistic expectations and feel foolish.
4. They are afraid they won’t be perfect and they equate being perfect with being valued as a person.
5. They are afraid… period. It is normal for creativity to bring up a swarm of fears.
6. Someone once said something discouraging to them that felt really bad and they believed them.
7. They tried for five minutes to be creative and it didn’t take. (They are adverse or oblivious to the perseverance, practice it takes to be creative).
8. They have created a belief that works against the belief that they are creative.
9. They think either you’re born with creativity or you’re not.

The last one is especially popular.

Many people are indeed born with an innate talent. When they cultivate that talent through many, many hours of practice – amazing works of art, literature, music, what-have-you are brought into existence. But really, do you need to BE that person in order to discover the bliss, benefits, and rewards of creativity?

Nope.

Those people are not necessarily happy.
Those who know they can also create the feeling within themselves of joy ARE happy.
Thinking there’s only one way to be creative, well, that’s not a very creative way to think at all.

If we all were born with the same innate talents, the art would look the same, all the music would sound the same, all the words – same, same and same.

This would be an interesting plot for a science fiction film but it would be a society that didn’t last very long because many needs would be unmet, plus people who didn’t like what was created might become homicidal, suicidal, or bored to death.

There would not be the other creative works that come from passion, interest, curiosity, healing, need, problem-solving, angst, joy, amusement, and divine mistakes. These are ALSO drives that result in creativity. Everyone has the ability to be creative in these ways. Creativity’s definition includes the act of bringing something into the world of value.

• Close your eyes. See a cat. Now change the look of that cat in three ways, place the cat someplace unexpected. Add some kind of activity for the cat to do. Now have the cat do something a little less obvious than what you just chose. Now add a different scenic backdrop. Now add a disco ball. Now have the cat tell you something unexpected.  If you weren’t able to do that little short exercise, you are simply resistant. Resistance is a creative block, it does not mean you are not creative. If you were able to do the cat exercise.. you are creative. The more you practice little exercises like this, the more creative you will become in the way that YOU can be creative, which is different from other people’s ways.

• Take a breath in. As you breathe out relax your shoulders. You just created relaxation.

• Listen to all the voices that judge, worry, belittle, and protect you. Now imagine those voices are not you. You are the self inside of you that they are talking to. Imagine that self is a pure kid-like creative soul ready to combine, associate, invent, modify, shift, amuse, or stick pipe cleaners into Jello. You just created peace, amusement or maybe delight and eager anticipation.

This kind of creativity comes from the same mechanism that makes art, writing and music. It’s just that those avenues may require some instruction, practice, self-esteem, focus, little dedicated five minute periods to begin, willingness to be a beginner over and over, and perseverance.

Those are the ball bearings of creativity.

If you don’t have them, you can get them, a little at a time, imperfectly at the beginning but even in imperfection and sometimes because of it, creative discovery is possible.

Everybody gets to be creative.

(c) 2011 Jill Badonsky.  www.themuseisin.com

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DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CREATIVE BURSTS WORKBOOK!
And receive free creativity prompts delivered to your inbox twice a week.
CLICK HERE!   (To learn more, click here)

What do Atticus Finch, Lisbeth Salander and Ferris Bueller have in common?

They’re the first three names that popped into my head when I started thinking about compelling fictional characters.

It’s hard to imagine the qualities that link a 1930s lawyer oozing with integrity, a female punk cyber spy, and a naughty high school boy, but they do share certain characteristics that make them compelling:

• Each has a strong drive to pursue a certain course of action in spite of the potential legal, social, or parental repercussions.
• Each lives by a personal code which is unyielding in the face of conflict.
• Each lives life large, all passion and no hesitation.

Hyperink.com‘s question of the month: What makes a compelling character in a book or movie?  

Today I’m pointing you toward an excellent article in which artists of all types share how they connect with their creativity. I find it inspiring to hear how other people get creative — I hope you do, too!

Click here to read the article. And if you have any muse-inspiring ideas that work for you, be sure to share them in the comments!

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The exercise below is one of my recent Creative Bursts. The Creative Bursts are fun, 15-minute play breaks designed to help get your creativity flowing. They encompass writing, drawing, doodling, dancing, wordplay, singing and more. And they’re free! If you’re not receiving them yet, click here to sign up!

What is your invisible feature that nobody knows about? A tail that keeps you balanced? Wings that help you fly above confusion? A special nose that smells disturbances before they arrive?

Spend a few minutes writing about or drawing — or just imagining — your invisible feature.

Here’s what people are saying about the Creative Bursts:

“Your Creative Bursts Rock! Love the creativity exercises. They are fantastic.”  ~Andrew, Brisbane, Australia

“Love these prompts!”  ~Sarah, California, USA

“Thank you for the Bursts, they are hopefully going to restore some sanity!”  ~Hannah, United Kingdom

“I LOVE your Creative Bursts! They really spark my imagination.”  ~Christopher, Maryland, USA

Click here to download your free Creative Bursts workbook and sign up for more Bursts in your inbox twice a week!

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CREATIVE BURSTS WORKBOOK!
And receive free creativity prompts delivered to your inbox twice a week.
CLICK HERE!   (To learn more, click here)

1. Do something creatively inspiring every day, even if only for 5 minutes.
2. Forgive yourself if you miss a day—and then get right back on the creativity horse.
3. Cultivate an attitude of play when you’re writing, painting, singing or creating in any way.
4. Let go of your inner perfectionist.
5. Don’t blow off your muse, even if he/she starts tugging on your arm at an inopportune time.
6. Share your creativity with people who appreciate it.
7. Don’t listen to people who discourage you (including your inner critic).
8. Believe you deserve to take time for your creativity, in spite of all the demands in your life.
9. Enjoy the creative journey instead of focusing only on the destination.
10. Realize that every time you make space in your life for creativity—even if it’s just a sliver of space—you’re making yourself a better person and the world a better place.

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Use a word pile to create something tasty

Combine a random image and a line of text to create a new writing prompt

Turn your life into a movie, a bubblegum card, a fortune cookie…

Use a clincher detail to create a vivid character in just one sentence

Gather words you find sprinkled throughout your day and turn them into something new

Try one of these five exercises to shake up your muse

Get creative with lists

Turn something old into a new piece of writing

Use the environment to reflect a significant change in a character’s life

Craft compelling first and last sentences

Create a sensory collage

Try one of these 10 ideas to get your muse out of neutral

Dream up some metaphors

Use this prompt as a launching pad into creativity

Compile a thesaurus of the senses

Create a thesaurus of memories

Turn found words and phrases into something new

Embrace your bad writing

Transform a creative block into a character (with another example here)

Write a haiku about creativity

Create a faux-history for a random item

Dive into this word pool to write about a physical, emotional or creative journey

For bloggers—create a poem using search engine terms

You’ll also find photo prompts here, and some 5-minute creative quickies here.

And, if you want to work on something larger, write the story of your life with a series of 6-word memoirs.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CREATIVE BURSTS WORKBOOK!
And receive free creativity prompts delivered to your inbox twice a week.
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Yesterday at the grocery store, I overheard a woman telling the check-out clerk “Fourteen years ago, I rearranged my life so I can spend all my time with my dog!”

Overheard dialogue can make a great story starter. So my writing challenge to you today is to write a brief story or character description starting with the line I overheard.

Or, if that sentence doesn’t resonate with you, make your own by filling in the blank: “Fourteen years ago, I rearranged my life so I can ___________.”

Have fun with this, and share in the comments if you like!

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CREATIVE BURSTS WORKBOOK!
And receive free creativity prompts delivered to your inbox twice a week.
CLICK HERE!   (To learn more, click here)

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CREATIVE BURSTS WORKBOOK!
And receive free creativity prompts delivered to your inbox twice a week.
CLICK HERE!   (To learn more, click here)